================== NOTICE: THIS ABSTRACT WAS EXTRACTED FROM APPLICATION AND HAS NOT BEEN PROOFED BY AN SRA.WHEN THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE APPLICATION SCANNING PROCESS, THE EXTRACTED TEXT MAY BE INCORRECT OR INCOMPLETE. ================== This proposal is to request support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Viral Immunity, organized by Jonathan W. Yewdell, Akiko Iwasaki, Nicole L. La Gruta and Jack R. Bennink, which will be held in Banff, Alberta, Canada from March 21 - 26, 2010. The most exciting recent advances in viral immunity include the increased understanding of the role of innate immune mechanisms, interaction between innate and adaptive immunity, pathogen manipulation of host responses, and activation of immune responses and generation of immune memory. Despite these advances, basic mechanisms of anti-viral immunity are poorly characterized particularly for chronic infections. Efforts are also required to exploit recent research advances to improve vaccine design and therapeutic intervention. This meeting will include both innate and adaptive immunity and juxtapose animal models with human studies as it attempts to foster collaborative efforts between attending viral immunologists and the HIV vaccine researchers in the joint meeting on HIV Vaccines. Expert talks in plenary sessions will encompass the latest in critical areas of viral immunity. Workshops and additional presentations will cover provocative and cutting-edge results from attendees. The meeting objective is to accelerate progress in understanding and manipulating anti-viral immunity to improve human health. Basic viral immunology research provides the essential foundation for understanding virus-host interaction and the rational design of anti-viral vaccines and therapies that bolster host anti-viral immunity. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Viral Immunity aims to 1) address gaps remaining in our understanding of basic features of anti-viral immunity, and 2) encourage translation of what is now known into improved vaccines and therapies. For the first time, the viral symposium is being convened jointly with the Keystone Symposia meeting on HIV Vaccines in order to introduce the latest advances in basic research to the HIV vaccine field.